Testimony on County Eligibility System reveals MNSure Cracks

posted by Taxpayers League of Minnesota | 81.20sc
February 27, 2018

This morning 2/27/2018, the the HHS Policy Committee in the Minnesota House, the Chair of the HHS Finance Committee, Rep. Matt Dean introduced a bill, HF 2725 that would start to peel away at the layers of of bureaucracy and even outside vendors that are part of the MNSure monstrosity. The bill would create a new system, based in the counties of determining eligibility for need based health insurance and get people who don't need and aren't eligible for subsidies back to private sector brokers to help them find insurance. The committee heard testimony from the counties association, from an insurance broker and (in opposition) from a testifier who works for a company that is an outside vendor to MNSure, providing "navigators"that help people get through the cumbersome MNSure processes. The company, a for profit, Briva Health gets grant money ($340,000 last year) from MNSure to help people get insurance through MNSure. She said 40% of their operations are due to this grant.

It's a good example of how government programs spawn "stakeholders" who then clamor to make sure their interests continue to be served.